Treasures from the Attic

      It's been an action-packed summer-- but on the plus side, we're still in July so it doesn't seem to be flying away. There's been a ton of unpacking and sorting into my new studio, and I promised I would open some of the boxes with you. So here's a big reveal of just one day!

     These are my special fancy Michael's boxes, not the plain brown Home Depot boxes that I have so many of left to unpack. Since the fancy boxes also have the advantage of being light, they were among the first I brought down the rickety fold-up ladder stairs to my attic.

    Only one was labelled, but I have more good news! I did remember all of these projects I unearthed, so my memory is still holding up. One day, I imagine I will take them out and not remember when or how I did any of it. That happened to me with a sweater I knitted once!

     First up, Fig Tree Pears is a finish. Those little squares are 1/2" finished, but I did an ace's job of assembling this. Such a pretty pattern and fabrics-- the fabric was "Chantilly." I made this for a friend who lived on Pear Street. They have long since moved, so I feel it's appropriate to now keep it! I even have the background fabric purchase from the same line; I think I was just too afraid to longarm it initially. Now I'm older and wiser and more ballsy-- I'm not afraid to ruin anything on my beautiful longarm. So expect a finish soon.

   Next up-- the Dessert Quilt! Moda came out with this four or five years ago. I have a friend who is making it with 30s fabric-- perfect-- but I purchased the kit that had "color cuts," made of a mix of different designer fabric. I thought Color Cuts were going to be a new offering from Moda, but it didn't last. I made one block and then put it away for five years. This is high on my list to get done now. They had me at "dessert."

     This is more random. I became a big fan of Carrie Nelson's "Schnibbles" patterns a few years back and purchased some on Etsy-- I believe they are out of print. They are designed for charm packs and this was one of my favorites. So there were no charm packs included in this box, just the white background.  I'm not sure what the plan was, but this would look good in anything, don't you agree? Since I live in the boonies now, the State Fair theme is precious to me-- look for a State Fair themed design in August, hint, hint! In August, people always send me pictures of their San Francisco Stitch Co. project that have won prizes across the U.S. Trust me when I say-- this is even better than winning a prize myself. xox

          Carrie Nelson of "Miss Rosie's Quilt Co." has since vanished which makes me incredibly sad. Does anyone know where she is? COME BACK!

   Then I had a box of cross stitch projects from the 1990s. Do you remember any of these? I used to shop from Herrschner's and also a catalog that came in called "The Stitchery." There was not a tenth of the selection you have today. I checked and both of these companies are now online. They are just like old friends. In terms of actually making these projects, it's not likely to happen any time soon-- that "Spring" kit in the lower right corner is a year commitment!

     Here's  some dregs from the bottom of that cross stitch box. I designed and stitched that lady based on a cameo that's in my family. I think it was my grandma's, but it very much reminds me of my mom. I think I should frame it. I also got sidetracked into beads at this point in my life. I foolishly gave away all my beads at one point. (Sigh.)

  

   This is first on my list in terms of wanting to finish! It's the Lori Holt Farm Girl book. This was a stitch-a-long with the Fat Quarter Shop in 2015. They had "Farm Girl Fridays," and you were supposed to make two blocks a week. I'm a Lori Holt fan, but what really makes this precious is that my daughter made half of the blocks with me. It was a pivotal time for our family, too-- we finished up home schooling, and she went on for a year at a community college, just to see if her school skills were up to par. (She rocked it.) A year later, she was off to the big city, New York, with a ton of college credits already earned at a much cheaper rate! (She also rocked that.) This was high on my list to secretly finish for her wedding, but I couldn't put my hands on it, so we went with Laundry Basket's "Alaska" quilt instead. Wouldn't take much to finish it now, and I'd love to add some special family blocks like ice skates and our two kitties.

          This is an old Sew Sampler Box subscription-- "Bubblegum Kisses." I even bought the finishing kit. The next month that I get something I'm not as fond of, I'm going to make this instead.

        And it's Mr. SFO's Boy Scout quilt! As I have often stated, Mr. SFO is and Eagle Scout and very proud and fond of that part of his life. He even keeps in touch with his former scout master who is now 90 and living in Arizona. Once, we had an older neighbor who also made "Eagle,"-- it's a big deal, and he had all of his badges and patches beautifully framed in the living room. This really caught Mr. SFO's eye--I decided to make him a quilt instead-- maybe I would secure the patches and badges to it. I even embroidered in large type the Scout Pledge-- it's fabulous. This is also a highly personal quilt and it was a complete surprise I was planning for hime until he walked upstairs while I was taking this picture. LOL.

     Do you remember when Boy and Girl Scout fabric was out a few years ago? That's when I got my start.

      Then it's my Lovely Letters quilt! We had a free stitch-a-long with this awhile back. They are now for sale on the website. After completing them, I sewed them all into a wall piece.

     Unfortunately, I raised the bar on myself again, and started creating little borders-- it was about 40 or more that needed to be done. I planned to do one every other day. I figured out it would only take a couple of months. So that is now 72 months ago. I look at all these things, still believing I can finish them. xox

    Here's few odds and ends I found along the way. I can't wait to hang up my old friend, the sewing machine clock! Wait? Why's a pair of needle nose pliers on the face? I don't remember that...

     Oh! That's where my needle nose pliers went! Haha! There was nothing organized about this move, when push came as it did, to shove that summer.

      And this:

    Which I turned into this!

    As I am unpacking, I am also sorting and organizing-- it's something I would never have done to this degree if I had stayed in place. If you have to move-- this is one of the benefits.

  I'm also adding everything I unpack to my master list of projects. It is growing considerably, and I am only about a quarter of the way through the attic treasures. A lot of what's left up there may be books, I hope.

         If I calculate one month per small project and three months for every large quilt, this represents eight years of my life! The good news is-- I'm planning on living at least 20 more years! Knock on wood. But it's kind of motivating to think about how many of these honestly deserve that time. I highlighted a few in blue that I want to work on NOW. I may end up selling off some that don't hold my interest anymore. The importance of NOT ADDING TO THAT LIST is really upfront and center. I posted the list in front of my beautiful new closet, now fuller than I can believe, as a reminder of how much I already have.

     So this summer has been one of the happiest times of my life! The lack of readership on the blog this summer is proof-- haha-- clickbait headings like I'M NEVER SEWING AGAIN, or I JUST BROKE MY HAND always get the most views. When you think about it, internet friends are the opposite of real world friends-- always there for you in the bad times, but they leave you when the sun is shining. A special thank you to all my readers who are here beside me when all is right with the world!

There's still sew much happiness to share this summer-- farm life, our "Kingfield Days" festivities, the Maine Quilt Show at the end of this week, and I have a road trip all the way from Florida to Maine coming up in August. The summer fun has just begun-- stay tuned!

xox

Carol